15 Best Open Source Make.com Alternatives (Free & Self-Hosted)

Make.com, formerly known as Integromat, is a well-regarded platform in the world of workflow automation. Its visual interface simplifies connecting various web applications and automating complex tasks without requiring extensive coding skills. It's a go-to for many seeking to streamline their digital processes.

However, like many Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions, Make.com comes with potential limitations. Users might encounter escalating subscription costs as their usage grows, face data privacy concerns with third-party hosting, risk vendor lock-in, and find limits on deep customization to fit unique business needs.

Fortunately, a robust ecosystem of open-source, free (often with generous free tiers or core free products), and self-hosted automation platforms exists. These alternatives offer significant advantages for individuals and organizations prioritizing control, flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and data sovereignty. By allowing you to run workflows on your own infrastructure and often modify the underlying code, these platforms provide powerful Make.com alternative solutions.

While other commercial SaaS competitors like Zapier or Workato offer similar functionality, this guide focuses exclusively on options that champion open source licensing, provide free usage models, and enable self-hosting. This combination ensures maximum autonomy and control over your automation workflows and sensitive data.

Here are 15 compelling options to consider if you're seeking a robust Make.com alternative that offers greater control and flexibility:

Direct Visual Workflow Competitors

These platforms most closely resemble Make.com's core functionality and visual approach, allowing users to connect applications and services through a graphical interface.

n8n (Node-based 8 Notation)

• Description: n8n stands out as a leading and widely popular open-source Make.com alternative. It features a powerful, node-based visual workflow editor that facilitates seamless connections between hundreds of different applications and services.

• Key Features: Intuitive visual workflow builder, extensive library of built-in integrations (nodes), ability to incorporate custom JavaScript code snippets, robust error handling, support for manual triggers and webhooks, user management features (often in paid tiers).

• Why it's an alternative: Offers a very similar visual workflow paradigm to Make.com but with the significant advantage of being open source and self-hostable. Its flexibility and power appeal to technical users and those with moderate technical skills looking for a self-hosted automation solution.

• Licensing/Hosting: Sustainable Use License / Apache 2.0 with Commons Clause (verify specific components); Free self-hosting is a core offering, with optional paid cloud and enterprise versions available.

• Target User: Developers, technical marketers, operations teams, and anyone needing powerful, flexible, self-hosted automation capabilities.

Node-RED

• Description: Originally developed by IBM and now part of the OpenJS Foundation, Node-RED is a flow-based programming tool. While initially designed for the Internet of Things (IoT), its versatility makes it excellent for general web service integration as well.

• Key Features: Browser-based visual flow editor, vast ecosystem of community-contributed nodes (integrations), lightweight architecture (can run on devices like Raspberry Pi), exceptional for hardware integration tasks, single-click flow deployment.

• Why it's an alternative: Provides a solid visual editor for connecting APIs and services. Its strength in IoT and hardware control is a distinguishing feature. It is fully free and open-source (Apache 2.0), making it a highly accessible Make.com alternative. While perhaps less polished for pure SaaS app integration compared to n8n, its adaptability is immense.

• Licensing/Hosting: Apache 2.0 License; Completely free for self-hosting.

• Target User: Developers, IoT hobbyists, makers, engineers, and users comfortable with a slightly more technical, node-centric interface.

Activepieces

• Description: A more recent entrant in the open-source automation space, Activepieces focuses on providing a user-friendly experience with a clean interface, positioning itself as a direct open-source Make.com alternative and competitor to commercial tools like Zapier.

• Key Features: Sleek visual workflow builder ("Flows"), a continuously growing library of integrations ("Pieces"), standard triggers and actions model, support for flow templating, built using modern TypeScript.

• Why it's an alternative: Delivers a modern, approachable UI reminiscent of leading SaaS tools but with the freedom of an MIT open-source license. It's specifically designed for connecting cloud applications, making it a strong Make.com alternative for common web automation tasks where a clear UI is preferred.

• Licensing/Hosting: MIT License; Free self-hosting available, alongside a managed cloud version.

• Target User: Businesses, marketers, operations professionals seeking an easy-to-use, modern, open-source automation solution.

Agent-Based and Event-Driven Automation Tools

These tools might employ different models, such as agents or event streams, but can effectively achieve similar automation outcomes as Make.com, often excelling in monitoring and reacting to changes.

Huginn

• Description: Huginn operates as a system for creating 'agents' that perform automated online tasks. Think of it as your personal group of web agents constantly checking data, monitoring events, and executing actions based on your defined rules.

• Key Features: Agent-based architecture (agents can monitor websites, detect changes, process RSS feeds, send/receive events), highly flexible scheduling options, webhook support, customizable actions through various agent types, strong community support.

• Why it's an alternative: Offers potent automation capabilities, particularly excelling at web scraping, data monitoring, and event-driven tasks. It's highly customizable if you're comfortable configuring agents (often via JSON). As a mature and stable project with an MIT license, it's a reliable self-hosted Make.com alternative for monitoring and reacting to online events.

• Licensing/Hosting: MIT License; Free for self-hosting.

• Target User: Developers, tinkerers, data scientists, users comfortable working with configuration files and setting up specific monitoring agents.

StackStorm

• Description: StackStorm is a powerful, event-driven automation platform primarily geared towards IT operations, often dubbed "IFTTT for Ops." It excels at orchestrating actions across existing infrastructure and application environments.

• Key Features: Event-driven model (sensors detect events, triggers invoke rules, rules execute actions/workflows), extensive integration pack library (includes tools like Ansible, Docker, Kubernetes, AWS, Azure), robust workflow engine (Orquesta), Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), detailed audit trail.

• Why it's an alternative: While more Ops-centric than Make.com, StackStorm can integrate web services and automate intricate cross-tool processes triggered by specific events. Its power, scalability, and focus on robust IT automation make it a suitable Make.com alternative for complex, event-based automation scenarios, especially within IT environments where reliability and auditability are crucial.

• Licensing/Hosting: Apache 2.0 License; Free self-hosting (Community Edition), enterprise version available via StackStorm HA.

• Target User: DevOps engineers, Site Reliability Engineers (SREs), IT Operations teams requiring robust, scalable, event-driven automation for infrastructure and application management.

Developer-Centric & Low-Code Platforms

These platforms often bridge the gap between no-code and full code, typically requiring some scripting knowledge but offering flexibility through free tiers and self-hosting options.

Windmill.dev

• Description: Windmill positions itself as an open-source platform for developers to transform scripts (Python, TypeScript, Go, Bash) into reusable workflow steps and simple internal user interfaces.

• Key Features: Converts scripts into manageable workflow components, visual workflow editor, automatically generates basic UIs for script inputs, secure secrets management, job scheduling, scalable worker management.

• Why it's an alternative: Ideal for teams where developers need to automate script execution and potentially provide simple interfaces for non-technical colleagues. It serves as a Make.com alternative by blending code-based automation with visual workflow composition and UI generation, particularly useful for custom logic.

• Licensing/Hosting: Apache 2.0 (core engine), AGPL (some UI components); Free self-hosting, with paid cloud/enterprise options.

• Target User: Developers, DevOps teams, data engineers looking to automate scripts, build internal tools, and manage workflows programmatically.

Pipedream

• Description: Pipedream is a low-code integration platform primarily built for developers. Though mainly a SaaS offering, its extremely generous free tier and developer-first approach make it a relevant consideration. Key components are open-source, emphasizing code-level control within workflows.

• Key Features: Serverless execution model, extensive code-level control (Node.js, Python, Go, Bash support within steps), large library of pre-built app integrations and actions, diverse event sources (HTTP, email, cron, app events), state management between workflow steps.

• Why it's an alternative: Offers immense flexibility for developers needing custom logic embedded within their automations. The substantial free tier makes it cost-effective for many use cases. While not primarily self-hosted in the traditional sense (it's serverless SaaS), its open components and developer focus position it as a powerful Make.com alternative for code-centric automation needs that benefit from a serverless model.

• Licensing/Hosting: Primarily SaaS with a very large free tier; Core workflow execution components are open source (MIT/Apache 2.0). Traditional self-hosting is complex and not the standard model.

• Target User: Developers needing fine-grained control over integrations, quick API connections, custom code execution, and a serverless environment for their workflows.

Automatisch

• Description: A newer open-source project, Automatisch aims for simplicity and straightforward self-hosting. It facilitates connecting different services using a clean visual workflow editor.

• Key Features: Simple visual workflow editor, focus on essential integrations, built with Python (Django framework), designed for easy deployment (often via Docker).

• Why it's an alternative: Provides a direct, uncomplicated, open-source (AGPL) solution focused purely on workflow automation, mirroring the core idea of Make.com but entirely self-hostable. A good Make.com alternative for those prioritizing simplicity and self-hosting without the extensive features (and potential complexity) of larger platforms.

• Licensing/Hosting: AGPL v3 License; Free for self-hosting.

• Target User: Users seeking a simple, self-hostable automation tool without requiring advanced features or extensive configuration.

Internal Tool Builders with Automation

These platforms primarily focus on building internal applications (like admin panels or dashboards) but often incorporate powerful workflow automation features, making them suitable for tasks tied to these tools.

Budibase

• Description: Budibase is an open-source low-code platform designed for rapidly building internal tools, admin panels, and dashboards. It tightly integrates automation workflow capabilities within the application building process.

• Key Features: Visual application builder, connects to various databases (Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, etc.) and REST APIs, offers a built-in database, supports custom JavaScript, includes automation workflows (triggers, conditions, actions like sending email or running queries) integrated with UI components.

• Why it's an alternative: If your primary need is building an internal tool and automating tasks related to that tool (e.g., notifying Slack when a new user signs up via the internal app), Budibase offers both functionalities in one package, serving as a specialized Make.com alternative in this context, allowing you to automate processes directly tied to your internal apps.

• Licensing/Hosting: AGPL v3 (self-hosted), Business/Enterprise licenses available; Free self-hosting, offers paid cloud tiers.

• Target User: Teams needing to build internal applications quickly, citizen developers, IT departments managing internal processes requiring integrated automation.

Appsmith

• Description: Appsmith is another popular open-source framework for constructing internal tools, dashboards, and admin panels. It allows embedding JavaScript extensively and connecting to numerous data sources and APIs, along with workflow automation features triggered by application events.

• Key Features: Drag-and-drop UI builder, connects to APIs and databases (SQL, NoSQL), allows writing JavaScript almost anywhere within the app (queries, transformations, logic), Git-based version control, workflow automation triggered by UI events or data changes (JS-based).

• Why it's an alternative: Similar to Budibase, Appsmith combines UI building with automation. If your automation requirements are closely tied to a custom internal interface you need to build, it presents a strong Make.com alternative for that specific niche, providing flexibility through JavaScript-driven logic within workflows.

• Licensing/Hosting: Apache 2.0 License; Free self-hosting, offers a paid cloud version.

• Target User: Developers, product managers, data analysts constructing custom internal applications requiring integrated data workflows and JS-driven logic.

Tooljet

• Description: Tooljet is an open-source low-code framework for building and deploying internal tools swiftly. It supports connecting to various datasources, APIs, embedding custom code, and includes workflow automation capabilities.

• Key Features: Visual app builder interface, connects to databases, APIs, cloud storage services (S3, GCS); allows writing JavaScript or Python for queries and logic; incorporates workflow automation features directly integrated with application components.

• Why it's an alternative: Offers a consolidated platform for developing internal tools and automating associated tasks, providing flexibility through code integration where needed. Acts as a Make.com alternative when automation is part of a larger internal application need, offering a comprehensive suite for building data-driven internal apps with embedded workflows.

• Licensing/Hosting: AGPL v3 (self-hosted); Free self-hosting, with paid cloud/enterprise plans available.

• Target User: Developers and teams building internal applications that require significant data integration and embedded automation capabilities.

Specialized & Adjacent Automation Tools

These tools might overlap with Make.com's capabilities but often cater to more specific domains like IT operations, data orchestration, or runbook automation.

Rundeck

• Description: Rundeck (now part of PagerDuty) is an open-source runbook automation platform primarily targeting IT operations tasks such as incident response automation, standardized deployments, and diagnostic procedures.

• Key Features: Web-based console for defining, scheduling, and executing jobs; fine-grained role-based access control; integrates with configuration management (Ansible, Chef, Puppet), monitoring systems, and cloud providers; offers a graphical workflow designer for job steps.

• Why it's an alternative: While focused on Ops, Rundeck automates sequences of tasks across diverse systems. This can include API calls or script executions that overlap with Make.com use cases, making it a viable Make.com alternative especially within an IT operational context where automating complex procedures is necessary.

• Licensing/Hosting: Apache 2.0 License (Community version); Free self-hosting, commercial enterprise version offered by PagerDuty.

• Target User: IT Operations, DevOps engineers, SREs needing to automate routine operational procedures and incident response workflows.

Apache Airflow

• Description: Airflow is a widely adopted open-source platform for programmatically authoring, scheduling, and monitoring complex workflows, with a strong emphasis on data engineering pipelines (ETL/ELT processes).

• Key Features: Workflows defined as Python code (DAGs - Directed Acyclic Graphs), comprehensive UI for monitoring, managing, and debugging workflows, highly extensible through plugins and custom operators, scalable scheduler and worker architecture.

• Why it's an alternative: For intricate, code-driven, data-intensive workflows, Airflow provides significantly more power and control over dependencies and scheduling than visual builders like Make.com. While not a direct replacement for simple app integrations, it excels as a Make.com alternative for orchestrating complex data tasks and dependencies at scale.

• Licensing/Hosting: Apache 2.0 License; Free for self-hosting.

• Target User: Data engineers, data scientists, developers building sophisticated, scheduled data pipelines and complex ETL/ELT workflows.

Prefect

• Description: Prefect is another modern workflow orchestration platform, often compared to Airflow. It focuses on data pipelines and managing complex task dependencies, offering a Pythonic API designed for developer experience.

• Key Features: Python-based workflow definition, support for dynamic DAGs (workflows that change based on runtime conditions), hybrid execution model (cloud orchestration plane manages self-hosted agents), state-driven execution logic, rich UI for observability and control.

• Why it's an alternative: Similar to Airflow, Prefect is a powerful tool for code-defined, data-heavy, or complex workflows. Its focus on developer ergonomics, testing, and observability makes it an appealing Make.com alternative for advanced automation needs beyond simple point-to-point app connections, particularly for data-centric tasks.

• Licensing/Hosting: Apache 2.0 License (Core engine); Free self-hosting (OSS version), offers a robust paid Cloud platform.

• Target User: Data engineers, ML engineers, developers dealing with complex, dynamic data workflows requiring robust orchestration and monitoring.

Kestra

• Description: Kestra is an open-source data orchestration and workflow platform notable for using YAML to define workflows. This declarative approach can make it more accessible than pure Python-based tools like Airflow or Prefect for some teams.

• Key Features: Declarative YAML interface for defining workflows, language-agnostic task execution (run scripts in Python, Shell, Node.js, etc.), integrated UI for workflow editing, monitoring, and execution visualization, event-driven workflow triggers, scalable microservices architecture.

• Why it's an alternative: Provides powerful orchestration similar to Airflow/Prefect but with a different, declarative definition style (YAML). It's capable of handling both data pipelines and more general-purpose automation tasks, positioning it as a flexible Make.com alternative for teams preferring YAML configuration or requiring polyglot task execution within workflows.

• Licensing/Hosting: Apache 2.0 License; Free self-hosting, offers an Enterprise edition with additional features.

• Target User: Data engineers, developers, DevOps teams looking for a declarative, scalable workflow orchestrator suitable for diverse tasks including data pipelines and general automation.

Choosing Your Ideal Make.com Alternative

Selecting the best Make.com alternative from the open-source world hinges on carefully assessing your specific requirements and priorities. Consider the following factors:

• Technical Proficiency Evaluate the technical skills of the primary users. Are they non-coders who rely heavily on visual interfaces, low-coders comfortable with some scripting, or professional developers who prefer code-first approaches? (e.g., Activepieces caters more to non-coders, Node-RED to tinkerers, Windmill/Airflow to developers).

• Primary Use Case What kind of automation do you need most? Simple app-to-app connections, complex data transformations and pipelines, IT infrastructure automation, or building internal front-ends with integrated backend workflows? The platform's core strength should align with your main automation needs.

• Integration Requirements Does the platform natively support the specific applications, databases, and services you need to connect? If not, how easy is it to build custom integrations or execute generic HTTP requests/scripts to fill the gaps?

• Hosting and Maintenance Burden Are you prepared and equipped to manage the deployment, updates, security, and resource scaling of a self-hosted application? Or would a managed cloud version (if offered by the open-source project) be a better fit to reduce operational overhead?

• User Interface Preference Do you strongly prefer a visual drag-and-drop interface like Make.com's, or are you comfortable working with configuration files (like Huginn or Kestra) or writing code (like Airflow or Windmill)?

• Community, Documentation, and Support How active is the open-source community? Is the documentation comprehensive and easy to follow for installation, configuration, and usage? Are commercial support options available from the project creators or third parties if your organization requires them?

• Scalability Needs Estimate the volume, frequency, and complexity of workflows you plan to run. Ensure the chosen platform's architecture can handle your anticipated load reliably and scale with your future demands.

• Licensing Implications Carefully review the specifics of the open-source license (MIT, Apache 2.0, AGPL, Fair Code, etc.). Understand any restrictions or obligations, especially regarding distribution, modification, or commercial use within your organization.

Conclusion: Embracing Open Automation

While Make.com provides significant value for many users, the expanding landscape of open-source, free, and self-hosted alternatives offers compelling advantages. Whether your priority is maintaining absolute data sovereignty through self-hosting, requiring the deep customization only open source provides, aiming to minimize recurring SaaS fees, or needing developer-centric features unavailable elsewhere, a suitable Make.com alternative likely exists within this vibrant community.

From direct visual competitors like n8n and Activepieces to potent developer platforms like Windmill, specialized orchestrators such as Airflow and StackStorm, and internal tool builders like Appsmith and Budibase, the choices are rich and varied. By carefully assessing your technical needs, primary use cases, integration requirements, and desired level of operational control, you can identify a powerful automation solution that truly empowers your workflows without vendor lock-in. Don't hesitate to experiment with a few promising candidates – your ideal automation engine might be waiting in the open-source world.

SEO FAQ

Q: What is a Make.com alternative? A: A Make.com alternative is another platform or tool that allows users to automate workflows by connecting different applications and services, similar to Make.com.

Q: Why would someone look for an alternative to Make.com? A: Users might seek alternatives due to reasons like rising costs, data privacy concerns, vendor lock-in, limitations on customization, or a desire for self-hosting and greater control over their automation infrastructure.

Q: Are there free Make.com alternatives? A: Yes, many open-source alternatives offer a core free product or generous free tiers, allowing users to run automation workflows without subscription costs, especially when self-hosted.

Q: What does "open source" mean for automation platforms? A: Open source means the platform's source code is publicly available, allowing users to inspect, modify, and distribute it. This often provides greater flexibility, transparency, and the ability to self-host.

Q: Can I self-host these Make.com alternatives? A: Yes, many of the listed open-source alternatives explicitly support self-hosting, allowing you to run the automation platform on your own servers or infrastructure.

Q: Which open source alternative is most similar to Make.com's visual interface? A: n8n and Activepieces are often considered the most direct visual workflow competitors to Make.com in the open-source space.

Q: Are these alternatives suitable for complex data workflows? A: Yes, platforms like Apache Airflow, Prefect, and Kestra are specifically designed for complex, data-intensive workflows, often defined programmatically.

Q: Which alternative is best for building internal tools with automation? A: Budibase, Appsmith, and Tooljet are strong open-source platforms that combine internal tool building capabilities with integrated workflow automation features.

Q: Do I need technical skills to use these open-source alternatives? A: The technical skill requirement varies. Some, like Activepieces or Node-RED, are designed to be relatively user-friendly for those with moderate technical skills. Others, like Airflow or Windmill, are more developer-centric.

Q: How do I choose the right alternative for my needs? A: Consider factors like your technical proficiency, primary use case, required integrations, willingness to self-host and maintain, UI preference, and scalability needs. Evaluating a few promising options is recommended.